Career criminal jailed for Norfolk carjacking in which driver was threatened with knife

A “career criminal” who was sleeping rough carried out a car-jacking, in Norfolk, on New Year’s Eve threatening a terrified driver with a knife to make a getaway after he burgled the home of a woman who had given him charitable help over the festive break.

Jamie Gill, 25, approached the driver who was in his car with his girlfriend near Fritton Woods, also known as Waveney Forest.

After asking for tobacco he pulled open the car door and put a knife to the stomach of the driver and threatened him saying: “Do you want to get stabbed?”

Matthew Sorel-Cameron, prosecuting at Norwich Crown Court, said the victim feared for his life.

The victim’s college work and computer, which were in the vehicle, were stolen along with the car.

Mr Sorel-Cameron said after handing over the keys of his Vauxhall Astra, Gill’s co-defendant Dana Cox 22, appeared with valuables stolen in the burglary, which were loaded into the vehicle.

Mr Sorel-Cameron said the pair had burgled a property nearby, whose owner had offered festive kindness to Gill and Cox who had been sleeping rough in a tent over the Christmas period.

Mr Sorel-Cameron said the owner had provided them with food and hot drinks and had even done some washing for them. They repaid her by stealing goods worth £4.500 including electrical items belonging to her son, who has disabilities.

The court heard that Gill had a number of previous convictions and was on early release from a four year sentence for a car-jacking in Windsor.

Gill admitted burglary and robbery and was given an extended 10 year sentence made up of seven years custody and three years extended licence for the protection of the public.

Cox admitted burglary and theft and she was given 40 months jail.

Judge Andrew Shaw described Gill as a career criminal and said he posed a risk of significant harm to the public.

Judge Shaw said burglary had been particularly mean and said that Cox had played a part in the well-planned crime.

Joanne Kane, for Gill, said that he was still a young man and said although a knife was produced it was not used and there was no physical violence.

Stuart Dingle, for Cox, said that although the burglary was deeply unpleasant she had not been aware about the knife being used in the robbery although she did know the car was stolen, which why she had pleaded just to theft and not robbery.

He said she was now expecting a baby and said: “She has never been involved in anything of this seriousness before.”